Optics can be used in solar concentrators (such as those in concentrated photovoltaic systems) to concentrate sunlight onto solar energy collectors, such as photovoltaic cells.
Solar concentrators employ optics to concentrate sunlight received over a relatively larger area onto a relatively smaller area where a photovoltaic cell (or some other means of harvesting solar energy) can be placed. In concentrated photovoltaic systems, the combination of the concentrating optical elements and the smaller photovoltaic cell would, in theory, be less expensive than would be an equivalent larger photovoltaic cell required to capture the same amount of sunlight. The first generations of solar concentrators were, however, quite complex and bulky, and suffered from many other drawbacks known in the art. Thus solar concentrators such as concentrated photovoltaic solar energy concentrators have not seen widespread general commercial acceptance.
Therefore, as is a slim-profile optic that concentrates light in a highly efficient manner for use in a solar concentrator.